Kevin Katalinic, Carl Sandburg High School

Tribune photo by David Pierini

Carl Sandburg High School's Kevin Katalinic knows he's fortunate to have his pick of some of the country's top colleges for business. The odds are good there's a lucrative job awaiting him someday, breaking down data for brokerage firms. But the 18-year-old hopes to help the less fortunate by using the tools of financial analysis to crack the social and economic problems that beset the poor. "I don't really have monetary goals," said Katalinic, who is choosing between Northwestern University, the University of Michigan and Notre Dame. "I just want to give back to the community." Katalinic has received straight A's each semester during his four years at his Orland Park high school. He's second out of 903 students in his graduating class with a grade-point average of 5.01. "Kevin just really gets it," said Ralph Rzeszutko, Katalinic's AP calculus teacher. "A lot of kids can do calculus, but Kevin really understands it. He knows the answer before I even ask the question." Katalinic's academic accomplishments are even more impressive given that he often was studying on an empty stomach after wrestling practice. The already slim Katalinic had to cut 20 pounds this season to make weight, and he won 19 matches for a Sandburg team that finished third in the state this spring. Katalinic developed his interest in philanthropy on annual trips with members of his church, St. Michael's Catholic Church in Orland Park, to build Habitat for Humanity homes in West Virginia. "The people there are so thankful. A lot of them were doing just fine and then they lost jobs," he said. "I feel like I've been blessed to have just a regular life, and everyone deserves to have a life like that." By Andy Grimm

Carl Sandburg High School's Kevin Katalinic knows he's fortunate to have his pick of some of the country's top colleges for business. The odds are good there's a lucrative job awaiting him someday, breaking down data for brokerage firms. But the 18-year-old hopes to help the less fortunate by using the tools of financial analysis to crack the social and economic problems that beset the poor. "I don't really have monetary goals," said Katalinic, who is choosing between Northwestern University, the University of Michigan and Notre Dame. "I just want to give back to the community." Katalinic has received straight A's each semester during his four years at his Orland Park high school. He's second out of 903 students in his graduating class with a grade-point average of 5.01. "Kevin just really gets it," said Ralph Rzeszutko, Katalinic's AP calculus teacher. "A lot of kids can do calculus, but Kevin really understands it. He knows the answer before I even ask the question." Katalinic's academic accomplishments are even more impressive given that he often was studying on an empty stomach after wrestling practice. The already slim Katalinic had to cut 20 pounds this season to make weight, and he won 19 matches for a Sandburg team that finished third in the state this spring. Katalinic developed his interest in philanthropy on annual trips with members of his church, St. Michael's Catholic Church in Orland Park, to build Habitat for Humanity homes in West Virginia. "The people there are so thankful. A lot of them were doing just fine and then they lost jobs," he said. "I feel like I've been blessed to have just a regular life, and everyone deserves to have a life like that." By Andy Grimm (Tribune photo by David Pierini)

Carl Sandburg High School's Kevin Katalinic knows he's fortunate to have his pick of some of the country's top colleges for business. The odds are good there's a lucrative job awaiting him someday, breaking down data for brokerage firms. But the 18-year-old hopes to help the less fortunate by using the tools of financial analysis to crack the social and economic problems that beset the poor. "I don't really have monetary goals," said Katalinic, who is choosing between Northwestern University, the University of Michigan and Notre Dame. "I just want to give back to the community." Katalinic has received straight A's each semester during his four years at his Orland Park high school. He's second out of 903 students in his graduating class with a grade-point average of 5.01. "Kevin just really gets it," said Ralph Rzeszutko, Katalinic's AP calculus teacher. "A lot of kids can do calculus, but Kevin really understands it. He knows the answer before I even ask the question." Katalinic's academic accomplishments are even more impressive given that he often was studying on an empty stomach after wrestling practice. The already slim Katalinic had to cut 20 pounds this season to make weight, and he won 19 matches for a Sandburg team that finished third in the state this spring. Katalinic developed his interest in philanthropy on annual trips with members of his church, St. Michael's Catholic Church in Orland Park, to build Habitat for Humanity homes in West Virginia. "The people there are so thankful. A lot of them were doing just fine and then they lost jobs," he said. "I feel like I've been blessed to have just a regular life, and everyone deserves to have a life like that." By Andy Grimm